It Was Just a Pencil
by Bronze Cuirass
Summary: Dio's a typical kindergartner—he plays with the other children, listens and obeys to his instructors, and wakes up right away when the teacher softly nudges to end his vacation at dreamland. But he seems quieter after the class' first drawing practise...and it doesn't help that his 'playmates' suddenly became his bullies.


**A/N:** Many thanks to the reviews I had on my first fic! You guys are just swell. Here, have some Little!Dio in the meantime. I'll apologise in advance for the horrible baby speak.

**Disclaimer:** Grand Chase and its characters belong to their rightful owner/s.

* * *

As a young child, Dio would oft use his left hand to do most of his tasks and errands.

Even in his dreams, this trait was not left behind. The young demon was in the middle of a grassy field, scores of cats purring and meowing while he brushed his glowing hand against their velvety fur. It was a very warm place, and felt nothing like Elyos, but Dio didn't seem to mind. A small, snowy white kitten made its way to his lap and immediately pawed at his yellow uniform, its crystal blue eyes set on the purple buttons. His amaranthine orbs gazed at the small creature's twitching ears, and with jittery hands, he carefully grazed the kitten's head, earning a little squeak from the animal.

"Wuh...whitey," Dio giggled, using his Rake Hand to scoop the cat up, placing a sloppy kiss on its little pink nose. "Whitey, whitey wike snow~"

The kitten only stared at him.

The demon felt bad, for he thought that he had upset the animal. He places it back on his lap and clasps his hands together, proclaiming in a lilting, yet not singing, voice, "Kitty, kitty, whitey, whitey~ Joo and ack, pway pway pway!" He pinched its soft paws, careful not to hurt it with his Rake Hand's unusually sharp nails. His hands, together with his little body, swayed left and right, to and fro, as if to instruct the kitten to dance. "We'll pick up fwowahs and pwant twees and make ackspwoshuns~!"

His Rake Hand started to gleam, an azureous glow seeping from his palm. The small creature was the first to notice and immediately withdrew its paws, scurrying away from the young demon.

"K...kitty?" Dio choked, feeling horribly eschewed. He immediately missed the kitten's downy fur and could not help but shed a few tears. "P-buh...w-wauh..." he jabbered, feeling his eyes get heavy and glassy.

Using his shirt's puffy, yellow sleeve, he wiped the tears away. He started to look around for the other felines but his sight met with the scenery of a wasteland. His left hand glowed proudly, and this time he didn't fail to notice it. The young demon held it up and gawked at it. Dio was gobsmacked—it looked so much prettier than before!

He wrung the hand as he examined it, almost as if it was a new body part of his. Dio opened and closed his hand, feeling an alien power surge through his body. It was new, and he didn't know if it was good or not, but he quavered. He looked at his surroundings once more, but there was nothing.

He was afraid.

"Hwuck..." he sobbed, timorous body convulsing with fresh fear.

* * *

"Dee..."

..was that someone?

"Dee," a dulcet voice crooned. Dio felt smooth, svelte fingers run through his hair.

"Dee," it called for the third time, but this time he felt his small body being lifted from the mat. He shifted uncomfortably, but the voice—which he now recognised was from his teacher—made him feel a little more than complacent.

She started to hum a song, her euphonious tone completely soothing the child.

When she had finished, Dio was already awake; his half-lidded eyes looking up at her with lucid affection.

"How're you Dee?" she asked, tapping his nose, "Looks like you've had a bad dream."

Dio stared up at her in dubiety, not believing her until he gingerly placed his right hand on his face.

He had been crying.

"B-bad dwim?"

"Yes, but it's alright now." She smiled and set him down. "Teacher's got you."

The young demon's smile at her was nothing short of jovial.

The instructor looked to her left shoulder to check the time, and saw that it would still take thirty more minutes for nap time to end. She got up and took the to-be leader's tiny hand, tiptoeing across the room. Dio tried his best to mimic her, and watched his friends who were completely tranquil in their sleeping.

* * *

The teacher had placed him in the playpen, filling half of the space with toys. She figured that it would be best for him to play to pass the time, before the next class starts. Dio liked the blocks best, and he'd make towers out of them, only to topple his creations with his left hand.

She noticed how rarely he used his right, and immediately suspected that he'd be a lefty.

Dio was wearing a white shirt at the moment, his yellow uniform being dried from the washing. As soon as it was done, the teacher sped to the drier and pulled it out, shaking it to get rid of some wrinkles. She marched back in, seeing Dio peeping over the small fence, clearly wondering where his teacher had gone and why she had left him. The teacher gave him a tender smile, flashing the bright article of clothing before him.

"It's all clean and dried up now, sweetie," she exclaimed in a singsong voice, "Now all you have to do is wear it."

The young demon's face lit up, smiling wide with a few teeth still missing. "Yaaaaay~ Dwess up!" he gurgled, and whistled a bit as the air passed through the gaps in his mouth, pleased with the idea of being primped.

* * *

"Alright, class!" the teacher announced, clapping her hands to catch the attention of the children. "It's time to do something new today."

The reaction from the class was a mixture of gleeful cries and disappointed wails. Dio took the opportunity to slip in the classroom without being noticed, and furtively manoeuvred his way to his place. His seatmate, a boy with striking blue skin and brown, shoulder-length hair, grinned at him. He motioned the violet-haired lad to sit beside him, and share his table. Dio happily complied and flashed a lopsided smile.

He and the boy had played on the seesaws and swings since day one, and they had a few companions as well. Dio had claimed a spot all for his own on the playground, and even if they were his 'friends', he would push them off if they sat or stood in his territory.

"For today," she continued, bending over to take a stack of papers from under her desk and setting them on her table, "we'll be practising drawing."

"Sawnds hahd," the brunet softly elbowed Dio, making the purple demon look at him. "I don't wike it."

"S'okay! I'll helv joo," Dio said.

Before his friend could say anything else, the instructor had placed a piece of paper on top of their table. The two boys stared at it, only to have their gazes avert to the small, rod-like thing the teacher was handing them over. Dio was the first to see it, but his friend immediately took it from her.

"It's a pencil," she told them, taking the brunet's hand and moving it to form swirls on the paper. The two stared in awe at the formed image, then at the pencil. "Now it's your turn."

She moved to the next table and continued distributing the papers.

Dio stared dumbly at the paper, poking the bottom part of it with his right forefinger. His friend stuck his tongue out and swiftly made an oval. It was done pell-mell, but nonetheless remarkable for a first time attempt. At that moment, the brunet immediately fell in love with the pencil. Dio saw how attached the other had gotten, and there was a twinkle in his dark olive eyes that had a possessive glint, and he was more than willing to let him have it for the rest of the day—if it meant that he'll get to have it all for his own the next drawing session.

"Make sure to take turns! Everyone should get a chance to draw today."

Her tone was oddly peremptory, and the brunet casted a heartbroken expression at Dio. The latter merely blinked.

"Harrumph," the blue-skinned demon growled, shoving the pencil into Dio's hands. The violet demon smiled haughtily, wresting the item with his Rake Hand. It gleamed again, and the brunet was immediately disconcerted. He pointed a shaky finger at Dio's hand before hiding under their table. Dio glanced at it and saw the pencil—now ignited—and immediately fell off his own chair. He waved his Rake Hand back and forth, thinking that it would extinguish the flame. The other children turned their heads to look at the odd pair, before going back to their own activities.

There was one child who kept looking, though. She had asymmetrical horns, bubblegum pink hair, and a pale lavender complexion. Her teal eyes never broke away from the two, not until her seatmate coaxed her to help her out on drawing a bunny.

When the brunet crawled out of the table, he saw Dio lying on his back, ashes scattered onto his uniform. It was an unsightly thing to behold; a beautiful bright yellow tarnished with smudges of dark grey.

It doesn't help that those grey smudges were previously a pencil. Dio saw his friend's lips quiver, and beads of tears started to form at the corner of his eyes. The to-be leader only offered him a doleful stare.

"I-I...I didn't—!"

The brunet pointed an insulting finger at him, "Joo'll wegwet dis..!"

* * *

"O-ow, dha hurts!" Dio cried out as a boy with blue hair kicked his side. "Stop! Pwease!"

"Haha!" a silveret chuckled, hitting the back of the purple demon's head with a spoon. "Sewves joo wight!"

The teasing continued and poor little Dio was getting bullied by these classmates of his. Across the playground, however, was the same girl with odd horns, and she saw everything those demons did to the violet-haired boy. The silveret hit Dio on his head again, and _oh_, was that the last straw. Sure, she enjoyed spectating squabbles and all, but when one side is making no effort in fighting back, the fight's better of pegged as 'torture'. She got up and dropped the dolls she was playing with, and gave the boys a heated glare—something they didn't see. She'll make sure they'll feel her wrath. She was going to even the playing field; even if it means taking the pitiful guy's side.

And she was going to set things _right._

* * *

"Euuwaaaaaa!" Dio sobbed, his flustered cheeks wet with tears that came out of his eyes like small rivulets. If anything, Dio would make a great impersonation of a broken faucet.

"Hit 'im! Hit 'im again!" the brunet squeaked, and the blue-haired boy obeyed, saying, "Gotja!"

A foot made its way to Dio's face, and the silveret hit him again with his spoon. The three chuckled in unison, their high-pitched voices filling the air. They were so engrossed at browbeating the violet-haired lad that they didn't notice the young girl enter the fray.

She ran towards them with a speed that would make thieves green with envy.

The brunet and the kicker immediately saw her and made a run for it. The silveret was left alone, and it wasn't before he...err, was beaten to a bloody pulp. Literally.

Dio watched in shock. He was aghast—he had never seen anyone who fought as portentous as she did!

* * *

"Joo've got a name ow wut?" the girl asked, offering a piece of bread to him. He politely declined and shook his head.

"So...joo don't have any name?"

"..I do," he chirped, dipping his head in embarrassment. He was ashamed at how he couldn't handle himself back there. "It's Dio."

"Nice to meetcha, Dio," she smiled at him, a complete row of teeth showing—and not a single gap. Boy, was he was envious. "I'm Ley."

"Fanks," he smiled, making sure not to show his teeth, "fow a while ago. I dunno wot I'd do if joo wun't dewe."

"It's all a mattah of wut joo won't be able to do. Wike," she thought, tapping her chin, "joo _pwobably_ wouldn't be able to walk home if I wun't dewe."

Dio felt himself smile a wee.

"But dun expect me to show up wheneva you'we in a pinch."

* * *

**A/N:** I'm not really certain if demons have the ability to blush or not. Oh well. *takes liberties*


End file.
